The Richard Chai store is a temporary retail installation created by Snarkitecture in collaboration with designer Richard Chai as part of the Building Fashion series at HL23, presented by Boffo and Spilios Gianakopoulos. Carved from the confines of an existing structure beneath the High Line, the installation envelops visitors within a glacial cavern excavated from a single material. White architectural foam is cut by hand to produce erosions and extensions of the sculpted walls and ceiling to create a varied landscape for the display of Richard Chai’s collection. The range of shelves, niches, hang bars and other moments embedded within the form encourage the designer’s curatorial eye for display. At the close of the temporary installation, the material was returned to the manufacturer and recycled into rigid foam insulation.
